Carol From North Carolina’s Low Carb Success Story

Carol from North Carolina is 43, and she has lost 110 pounds low carbing. Carol started her low carb weight loss journey wearing a size 22, and is now at her goal size of 6, although she would like her 6’s to be a tad looser. Currently weighing 138, Carol is only 8 pounds from her goal weight.

“I am on Atkins right now,” she told me. “After taking a break and being on maintenance all winter, I am back on Induction as of a week ago, and am trying to lose those last eight pounds for summer.”

Carol never had a weight problem until she was 21 and bore her first child. “I really didn’t gain an awful lot – about 40 extra pounds,” she told me. “I joined a gym and ate salads for about four months, and it came off. About three years later, at 24, I got pregnant again. This time I had toxemia and gained about 80 pounds caring my son, most of which stayed with me after he was born. I tried, but I never lost it and over the years I steadily gained even more weight, albeit at a slow pace. I constantly gained, and really didn’t understand why. I never ate what one would consider a huge amount of food. Now, of course, I know it was what I was eating, not how much.”

Carol had several previous weight loss attempts before she began low carbing, although she was unable to remember in which order she tried them. “I think I tried every plan know to man over the years,” she said. “Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, amphetamines (including the ‘all natural’ ones, like chromium), the grapefruit diet, and the cabbage soup diet, where all I ate was soup made from cabbage, onions, tomato, green peppers, salt, and pepper.”

Carol stuck with Weight Watchers the longest. “I stayed with the Weight Watchers program about three months,” she told me. “I had seen so many others lose with it.” When she stopped, it was because she was so hungry all the time. She never lost more than three pounds. “I also hate low fat foods, they’re tasteless and they certainly didn’t satisfy me – and no one told me to drink water, they told me what NOT to drink, but never what TO drink.”

“I never joined a gym after that first time, because honestly,” she said, “I hated it. With two small children, it was easy to make excuses that I didn’t have time. The other diets, I stayed on only for about two months, again, quitting because I was starving and losing nothing. I never lost more than three pounds on any of them!”

“I tried some diets I made up, too,” Carol said. “For instance, once I fasted for eight days solid, not one bite to eat. After eight days, I started eating again. As I had hoped, my stomach had shrunk and I couldn’t eat much. What I ate was all low fat. I counted every fat gram. Two months of this and I had lost 40 pounds. I was so excited! I thought I was on to something, but the holidays came and I broke my plan. I never managed to get back on it. I gained back all I had lost plus plenty more.”

None on these plans had any negative side effects for Carol, at least that she could detect; she just didn’t lose and weight. She stayed on chromium for about five years, but it never helped her lose. She kept taking it because it gave her ‘energy.’

About seven years ago Carol gave up trying to lose weight. “I really thought I was just meant to be fat. I was in an abusive marriage. I believe the depression from that made me continue to gain, slowly but steadily. I blossomed up to 248 pounds two years ago. I am 5’3″ tall, so I was definitely obese.”

Carol would try anything she thought might work and could possibly get her to the size she was before she had children. “But the same time,” she added, “I was always starving on these plans, and not losing a thing. I don’t think I could allow my heart to really be in it, something I now know is necessary. Emotionally, I was depressed from trying so hard and not seeing any results.”

None of the plans were easy for Carol because she didn’t like any of the food. “If I did like it, I couldn’t have much of it,” she said. “I just don’t like feeling starved all the time. When I fasted, the first 3 days were horrible, after that I felt wonderful. I might mention that through all these years, I never a sweet tooth, but I did have a drinking problem. The foods I liked were all the wrong things, breads, potatoes, and things high carb. I had guess I got plenty of sugar from all the alcohol. I never stopped drinking during any plan I tried. I would change my drink of choice to what I thought would be the lowest in fat, like vodka and grapefruit juice, but I never stopped, or even slowed down, as I recall. I am an alcoholic, but recovering, and I haven’t had a single drink in nearly seven years. I did think that when I stopped drinking I had lose weight from that alone, but I was wrong. It didn’t help me lose one pound. Life sober made life better in every other way, but that’s another topic.”

Carol first heard of low carbing about 2 1/2 years ago. She thought it was just another fad diet that wouldn’t work. “Then I saw others really losing large amounts,” she continued. “I thought I may as well try it, I had nothing to lose but fat. I never expected that it would actually work; nothing else every had. As I mentioned, I was to the point where I thought I was meant to be fat. Now I know that nobody is.”

Without a doubt, Carol believes she is addicted to carbs. She tried this way of life because she could have the foods she really liked, foods that actually filled her up and would keep her satisfied. “I thought, ‘What the heck! It sure can’t hurt!’ But again, I had no doubt really that Atkins would be just like the rest and I’d be fat forever.”

Carol couldn’t think of anything bad about low carbing. “It’s THE best thing to ever happen to me in my life!” It is a miracle! It has taken me from obesity and to actually being thin! That’s still hard for me to believe. I have kept the weight off for a year now. I think it’s very healthy and I have never felt better.”

“I would like to stress to anyone out there doing this who does not take their vitamin supplements, please do!! I felt so wonderful, I thought the heck with those vitamins, I don’t need them! But, from the loss of calcium, I now have 18 cavities and am lucky that for a small fortune the dentist can save my teeth. Of course, this is all my fault. Dr. Atkins always stresses the supplements, so please everyone, DO take them!!”(Listen to Carol!)

“Also, after I had hit a loss of a little over a hundred pounds, my hair started to fall out, by the handfuls, literally. I have very thick hair, so I was lucky I could afford to lose some. However, after about a month, the loss stopped and now all my hair has grown back.”

This way of life is very easy for Carol. “Of course, I love all the foods we can eat and I am always full. The carbs were just a little hard to give up at first, but that was from the carbohydrate addiction and subsequent carb withdrawals. After that was over, the second week of induction, it has not bothered me since. I can and will stick with this the rest of my life. I am very determined never to gain the weight back, ever.”

“Actually, I didn’t have a support system,” Carol told me, “but I really didn’t need one! When I began, I didn’t tell anyone I was doing this because I thought I had just fail again anyway. After the first six weeks of constant induction (never a day did I cheat!), I had lost 45 pounds and people started asking questions. It was then that I did begin to tell people about low carbing.”

“By the time I discovered news groups on low carbing, I had lost my 110 pounds. I like participating in the groups so I can encourage others. I am so very grateful for this huge life change. The weight loss has really changed every aspect of my life. I find the need to give something back, and trying to help others is what I enjoy doing.”

The most important benefit of low carbing and weight loss for Carol has been the return of her ‘long dead and buried’ self esteem. “For the first time in over 20 years, I feel good, actually great about myself. I found the courage to end my abusive marriage for good after letting myself be his door mat for so long. Now I know that even fat, I deserved better. Losing the weight gave me the confidence to make some major life changes. I was a waitress for the past 20 years, which I hated. I am now in school taking Criminal Justice courses, something I have always loved. Without losing the weight, I think I would have stayed in that rut for the rest of my life, never feeling like I was worth any more. It’s really amazing how much the weight loss has done for me! I got a whole new body. More importantly, I also got a whole new life.”

“Everyone thinks it’s wonderful, of course,” Carol told me. “I am the reason six other overweight girls at work went on low carb. They too, have lost weight. I am known at work as the low carb queen, an expert on Atkins and losing weight all around. I don’t think I am quite the expert they give me credit for being, but I have helped others to lose, and I love doing it. I even had one coworker tell me that the day she asked me how to lose weight was the best day of her life! That does a heart good of course!”

In conclusion, Carol wanted to add, “Nobody has to be fat; everyone has the power to lose if they want to! Exercise helps weight loss along in a big way. As big as I was, I had to lose to be able to exercise. After I lost 50 pounds, I started at the gym and made myself go. I never missed a day except for the one day a week I took off. As I mentioned, I hated exercise all my life, so I really did have to force myself to go at first. I knew I had to do it because from the weight I had lost, my skin was hanging off me like I was 100 years old. I knew that exercise was the only way to tighten it up. After two months of steady working out, I discovered how great it makes me feel, physically. I have lot more energy, and it’s given me a real sense of accomplishment. I still work out and I love it now!”

Carol’s low carb journey has been a real accomplishment. What she has lost in weight she has gained in soul. She has experienced a true renaissance in her life, has taken the step to help others in their weight loss journey. Her attitude is a testament to her compassion and dedication, and we applaud her.

And please note! When you look at Carol’s pictures, look beyond them. She has lost an additional 35 pounds since her “After” picture was taken.

Congratulations, Carol!